VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.5) updated 2 February 2025

[ClaraOswald]

More questions (Trip is 42 days away!)....

Are there paper towels in the kitchen of the 1-bedroom or should I add some to my Walmart delivery order?

We might try to use the BR pool this time. If it's chilly outside, can we "wear" the pool towels back to our room? Or do we need to put them in the towel return before leaving the pool area? (I ask this because that's what we did during a winter stay at the Grand Californian...but I wasn't sure if we were actually supposed to do that. And I'm a rule-follower!)

Also about the pool...is theft an issue? (Again, I've read stories about theft at the Grand Cal pool...) I have one of these for public/hotel pools. Do you think I should bring it for the BR pool? And is there even a chair I'd be able to attach it to? I'm not sure what type of chairs they have there. It's just big enough for us to put our phones in. We like to bring them along to snap pics of our son. Or in case of emergency.




One more for now - If we have time to kill before our room is ready and wanted to do the hotel loop on the monorail....would we boat over to Magic Kingdom and then grab the monorail from there?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

More questions (Trip is 42 days away!)....

Are there paper towels in the kitchen of the 1-bedroom or should I add some to my Walmart delivery order?

We might try to use the BR pool this time. If it's chilly outside, can we "wear" the pool towels back to our room? Or do we need to put them in the towel return before leaving the pool area? (I ask this because that's what we did during a winter stay at the Grand Californian...but I wasn't sure if we were actually supposed to do that. And I'm a rule-follower!)

Also about the pool...is theft an issue? (Again, I've read stories about theft at the Grand Cal pool...) I have one of these for public/hotel pools. Do you think I should bring it for the BR pool? And is there even a chair I'd be able to attach it to? I'm not sure what type of chairs they have there. It's just big enough for us to put our phones in. We like to bring them along to snap pics of our son. Or in case of emergency.

View attachment 920860


One more for now - If we have time to kill before our room is ready and wanted to do the hotel loop on the monorail....would we boat over to Magic Kingdom and then grab the monorail from there?

Always exciting to have a trip coming up soon!
There are paper towels in all villas. If not, or you run out, just call houskeeping for more. That goes for any of the standard supplies including coffee and teas. For pool towels, I think that technically hotels don't want you to because they are a different type of towel than what's in the rooms but many people do bring them back to the rooms. I can't recall there actually being any signs and you won't be stopped. I'm feeling like hotels have also stopped trying to prevent it. I mean who wants people dripping water all the way up to the rooms either?
For the phone - the gates allowing entry to the pool do require you to use a magic band for entry. I leave my phone with shoes and cover up etc. Now is there theft? Perhaps but I don't think it's rampant if there is. If that locking case is sized to hold a phone I'd have to think you could lock it to a pool or lounge chair.

 

[CarolynFH]

I put in "lower floor" as a request, so I hope that helps us! Our son can't be in a room alone, so the plan is for him to sleep in the king sized bed with my husband (they go to bed earlier than me) and then I'll sleep on the murphy. (On our last trip, we were in a studio, and I actually found the mattress on the murphy to be more comfortable than the regular bed anyway.) If we end up with a pull-out couch, I'm not sure my RA-riddled body will be able to handle that for 7 nights.

Since having a Murphy bed is the important thing, I’d chat/email/call MS and make that your request, rather than the less-specific lower floor.

 

[sleepydog25]

More questions (Trip is 42 days away!)....

Are there paper towels in the kitchen of the 1-bedroom or should I add some to my Walmart delivery order?

We might try to use the BR pool this time. If it's chilly outside, can we "wear" the pool towels back to our room? Or do we need to put them in the towel return before leaving the pool area? (I ask this because that's what we did during a winter stay at the Grand Californian...but I wasn't sure if we were actually supposed to do that. And I'm a rule-follower!)

Also about the pool...is theft an issue? (Again, I've read stories about theft at the Grand Cal pool...) I have one of these for public/hotel pools. Do you think I should bring it for the BR pool? And is there even a chair I'd be able to attach it to? I'm not sure what type of chairs they have there. It's just big enough for us to put our phones in. We like to bring them along to snap pics of our son. Or in case of emergency.

View attachment 920860


One more for now - If we have time to kill before our room is ready and wanted to do the hotel loop on the monorail....would we boat over to Magic Kingdom and then grab the monorail from there?

You are fine to take towels from the pool to the room. While they are slightly different than room towels, all the linens are picked up, cleaned, and redelivered by the same company. Thus, when a housekeeper comes into a room and cleans it for the next set of guests, they strip the beds (pullouts, Murphy beds if they've been used), collect all the towels/cloths from bathrooms, and any other sundry linens (think kitchen towels) and pile them together on the floor. From there, they go into x-large trash bags to be loaded onto their carts and taken to the collection area--for HHI, it's underneath the CM service area in between Bldgs 12 and 14.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Okay...so I don't even need to return them to the pool area? I was thinking after we are cleaned up from swimming, we'd need to take the towels back to the pool to drop them in the towel return.

Good to know we can ask for extra paper towels. I'll take that off my Walmart list!

 

[sleepydog25]

Okay...so I don't even need to return them to the pool area? I was thinking after we are cleaned up from swimming, we'd need to take the towels back to the pool to drop them in the towel return.

Good to know we can ask for extra paper towels. I'll take that off my Walmart list!

No need to return the towels, correct. Linens are gathered/dispersed for a whole resort not separate areas.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Another question, if we aren't too tired our first night there, is there a good spot to watch the fireworks from at the resort? If so, can you guys show me on a map? Thanks!

And what about the water pageant....how do I find out what time that goes by? We've never seen it before. The website just says "8:25 to 10:30."

 

[CarolynFH]

And what about the water pageant....how do I find out what time that goes by? We've never seen it before. The website just says "8:25 to 10:30."

In the MDE app, tap the magnifying glass to pull up the Search page. Type Electrical Water Pageant. That will bring up the list of resorts it passes. Tap on Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and it will say what time it passes that night. Tonight it’s at 9:30 pm.

 

[CarolynFH]

Another question, if we aren't too tired our first night there, is there a good spot to watch the fireworks from at the resort? If so, can you guys show me on a map? Thanks!

I think many people watch from the lakefront by the Geyser Point Bar & Grill, E on this map https://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/wildlodge.htm.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Groupies, my head hurts. I was looking at room options for Feb (which I have booked at BWV but still have to check and see what if anything has opened up, lol) and I see we now have a view at BRV. Resort view rooms. I guess not having a name wasn't using enough characters. I might have suggested "tree view" but that's what I know best.

 

[CarolynFH]

Groupies, my head hurts. I was looking at room options for Feb (which I have booked at BWV but still have to check and see what if anything has opened up, lol) and I see we now have a view at BRV. Resort view rooms. I guess not having a name wasn't using enough characters. I might have suggested "tree view" but that's what I know best.

“Resort view” is Disney’s new name for the “Standard view” category at all the resorts, cash as well as DVC resorts. So now at VGF there are Resort View Resort Studios!

 

[ClaraOswald]

Wait...when we book, we pick a "view" now at BRV??

 

[CarolynFH]

Wait...when we book, we pick a "view" now at BRV??

No, the 2026 points chart doesn’t show any booking categories, just one, as it’s always been.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Wait...when we book, we pick a "view" now at BRV??

It now says resort view but it's the only "view" so not really.

 

[Granny]

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

 

[jimmytammy]

Merry Christmas to all our groupie friends and family!!

Thank goodness He sent His Son to be born so that we may live

 

[twinklebug]

Dropping in to wish all a very

​

Merry Christmas ​

&​

Happy Chanukah! ​

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

 

[MsChristy12]

Also about the pool...is theft an issue? (Again, I've read stories about theft at the Grand Cal pool...) I have one of these for public/hotel pools. Do you think I should bring it for the BR pool? And is there even a chair I'd be able to attach it to? I'm not sure what type of chairs they have there. It's just big enough for us to put our phones in. We like to bring them along to snap pics of our son. Or in case of emergency.

View attachment 920860

Ooh I like that locking case! Thanks for posting that. I'll try finding that one fits my phone!